The Buzz starts out this month up amidst the already deep snows blanketing much of the region’s vital winter tourism venues.
Mike Rubenstein’s been in Whitewater’s general manager chair since mid-November. After 24 years at Golden’s Kicking Horse Resort, Rubenstein takes over for outgoing Whitewater GM Rebeckah Hornung, who’s made the move to Baldface.
“Whitewater’s rich in history, with an amazing amount of work done to bring the resort to where it is today,” says the man they call Ruby.
“I’m definitely looking forward to some deep exploration,” he adds, with “deep” in air quotes no doubt.
After only a few weeks on the job, the snow safety expert says while he’s heard lots about the meaningful connection between Whitewater and the community, local love for the mountain has quickly become apparent. Unprecedented crowds have been touring, snow sledding and ‘shoeing all about the last three weeks.
Big crowds and big terrain are nothing new for Rubenstein. Kicking Horse is the sixth largest resort in North America, in the top 10 for lift-serviced vertical drop with 60 per cent of its terrain advanced or expert.
He helped develop the resort’s avalanche and snow-safety programs — also one of the continent’s biggest — as safety manager/avalanche forecaster for close to a decade before moving into operations director then GM for the last 10 years. His arrival, according to Whitewater co-owner Mitch Putnam, is great timing given Whitewater’s expansion into the Goat Slide area, now skiable thanks to the new Raven quad.
“Mike brings a whole different level of experience,” says Putnam. “His experience is going to be really valuable as we move more into summer activities, and increase the size and scope of the operation.”
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Former community newspaper owners Heather French and Lindsay Kugler are the kind folks behind the Support Slocan Valley Initiative, an effort to help Slocan Valley businesses recover from a brutal stretch of summertime fires and ferry slowdowns.
“We’re trying to pull the Valley together,” says Kruger. “We’re trying to give something back.”
The pair have teamed up with Community Futures and a bunch of local businesses on a T-shirt and hoodie campaign, with all proceeds going to the local economic recovery effort, and a draw Dec. 4 for a bundle of great Slocan Valley services and products.
The couple were part owners in great network of mountain town papers including the Jasper Booster, Banff Crag and Canyon, Squamish Chief, Whistler Question and published the Kaslo Prospector too.
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The Ward Street evolution continues. Transplanted Rosslander Camille Alexander has opened Free Time Consignment at 536 Ward St.
Free Time is all-outdoors, and sells high quality used goods.
“We’re here to make recreation a little more accessible for everyone,” says Alexander, who ran Rossland’s OK Gear for two years prior. Free Time is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Definitive Nelson staple Love of Shiva Boutique has moved in right next door. They’d been over on Stanley Street previously. Crystals, gems, jewels, all things mountainy and metaphysical. If you’ve never shuffled your chakras into this place, you should.
The two locations move in to where Erin Dooley’s Scout Clothing was. Scout’s settled in on Baker Street with MJ Armstrong’s Intuit Dance Studio.
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The year was 1972 when Gordon and Jill Cowan took a chance on starting a little office supply store here in Nelson. Fifty-two years later, despite the Amazons, soaring costs, receding hairlines and complexities of running a family business, Cowans is still selling.
Andy Cowan, who started out washing the johns, has been at the helm since 1995. But he’s retired as of a few months back, passing the reins to his younger brother Paul and his wife Morgan.
Originally from Scotland and England respectively, Gordon and Jill moved here from Calgary after visiting Kaslo with six kids. They bought the business from former mayor Tex Mowat. Then they had a few more kids.
“We didn’t see Dad much,” says Andy. “There were eight of us, so money was tight. He was working all the time.”
Cowan’s has been in its current location since 1976. Wasn’t long after they shifted to the new place that the Nelson economy went right sideways. Hundreds of great jobs were lost with the closure of BC Tel, Kootenay Forest Products and David Thompson University.
“It was pretty desperate,” says Andy. “Worrisome times for everybody. But the revitalization of downtown was huge. It kick-started a lot of change.”
The downtown is one of the things about Nelson the veteran entrepreneur loves.
“You don’t find that anywhere. It’s so unique. I’m so grateful we still have it.”
Paul says despite the city’s growing pains, he’s a fan of the way Nelson has evolved.
“It’s vibrant and keeps reinventing itself. More people are coming here, and that’s good for business.”
As new owners, Paul and Morgan say the responsibility of carrying on the family brand is admittedly “a little scary.”
Gordon passed away in 2010. Since then, and well before, a lot of Cowans, staff and decades worth of loyal customers have walked under the family’s last name, adorning the roof in big silver letters.
“It’s a touchstone for the family,” says Andy.
We’ll see you all later in the month.
This post was originally published on here
